


Heroes? Nah, Zeroes

by Go_For_The_Throat



Category: Zeroes Series - Scott Westerfeld
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24236935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Go_For_The_Throat/pseuds/Go_For_The_Throat
Summary: Follow my oc as she goes through bad fathers, exes, drug deals, and trying to control her power. Oh, and did I mention a dorky- not so hero - boy with a smooth talking voice that's not really his own? Well, there's that too. Have fun.
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first time writing, if anyone reads my story, I hope you enjoy it. I might update if it is actually read

Most have been forgotten. Most deserve to be forgotten. The heroes will always be remembered. The best. The best and the worst. And a few who were a little bit of both~ George R.R. Martin

Note: I don't own Zeroes or any of the characters, lines, or ideas associated with it. I only own my character

Nithilam

At the moment, me and Kelsie are sitting down in her home. I'm just watching her, the kind of watching you do when you're trying to figure something out.

Her favorite show is playing in the background but I just can't seem to pay attention. You know that feeling you get when you know someone is hiding something but you're just not quite sure what it is yet? Well that's what I've been feeling ever since we met.

"Okay spill, why you staring at me like I've just told you I'm gonna be growing a new head soon?" Kelsie's sudden words snap me out of my reverie of creepy stares. Now do I lie or tell the truth?

"Something just feels off today, I don't know". I mumble as I settle with just a half truth. Kelsie nods while digging into her bag of chips, I wiggle some, trying to get comfy as the small spring in her couch pokes at my butt again.

"Maybe we should go do something, the day is young. It's only around seven, maybe we can go do something crazy and then hang out with your other friends. You like crowds, right?"

I jokingly bring up her undescribable need to be around loads of people as I poke at her leg with my foot, my back pressed against the arm rest of her couch, the feather tattoo on my neck peeking out of my shirt as I tip my head back and stare at the wall behind me. "You laugh but you like the crowds just as much as I do".

She swats at my leg and I just laugh. I take my right hand and twirl a strand of my light brown hair around my index finger as I continue. "So you must want to go then, huh?" I still poke at her leg and steals the chips from her and eat a few. "Seriously, we need to do something fun. Like, knowing you're gonna die if you do this kinda fun".

Kelsie scoffs and stares at me through the corner of her eye. "Okay Zen, let's go die a little then". She slaps my leg and walks into her room to get ready, I'm already wearing all I need so I don't move a muscle to get up.

I stop looking at the wall and sit back up as i look down and pick at my light colored jean shorts as I stare at the small hole in the bottom corner of my Batman shirt. "Hey Nora, you'll be able to spend the night with me, right? "

I look towards her bedroom door when she pokes her head out, her blond hair now slightly curled around her face." I don't know, but if I can't, I'll just sneak out my window when everyone's sleeping. The only person that would rat me out is Misses Katherine ".

Kelsie laughs as she leaves her door open, giving me a good view of her familiar naked form as i speak in a snooty voice. I roll over and lay on my stomach, my shirt scooting up some as I cross my arms and lay them on the couches armrest, resting my chin on my arms. "That ten year old still giving you trouble? You know you could just tell the lady that works there that Katherine is sneaking out and meeting with her boyfriend".

I continue to watch as Kelsie gets dressed, ignoring the small marks on her wrists." No no, I want to wait to use that, like just to really rub it in her face you know, all the crap she says is gonna wind up biting her in the ass when i finally rat on her, oh the look on her face will be priceless". I smile devilishly. "You know Nora, something I think you enjoy her pain sometimes".

Kelsie jokes as she grabs her purse and brushes out her hair. " Oh Kelsie, babe, honey nut of my life, it's all about the little things". I stand up and walk over and smacks her lightly on the bottom as I grab some of her twizzlers off her dresser. Ever since we've broken up, I just love embarrassing her as much as I can. "How many times have I asked you to stop doing that". She's blushing dark as she tries to sound mad. " Maybe 2,567 times. Still counting honey nut."

I wink at her and step out her house to let her finish getting ready.

I nibble at the twizzlers in my hand as I lean against the nearest tree, absentmindedly messing with the miniscule hole in my ear, slipping into my mind once more as a memory I've been trying to suppress once again comes to mind.

My mother has me sitting in front of an old, dirty mirror, brushing my hair and using a small needle to poke holes in my ear for the earrings, tears falling down my face because of what I'm about to do. 'We need the money, you want to have a new dolly don't you?' She whispers in my ear as she braids my hair. I nod. "So just do this for mummy". She kisses my cheek as I stand up and straighten my short skirt, tears still streaming down my face as I nod again.

I'm broken out of my thoughts as Kelsie comes outside, wearing her usual get up. "Are you ready to- ". She stops when she sees the look on my face. "You okay?" She asks, stepping close as she gently rubs my shoulder.

I put on a fake smile and nod. "Yes, I'm fine, let's just go, yea?" I grab her hand and press a gentle kiss to her cheek. "Just fine." I rub her shoulder gently with my free hand to soothe her worry. "Let's just take a walk till it's time to meet with your friends, we can do deadly interesting another day".

Before she can speak, I grab her hand a little tighter and practically drag her with me as I walk down the road, already knowing she's staring at my back with an concerned look. 'So stupid Nora, you need to get over this already'.

I think to myself as I let go of Kelsie's hand, staring at the sky as my memories fade away like the clouds

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scam

My evening starts pretty well, I have a date with a beautiful woman even though my game has been dry since forever. Like I was born to be single.

I fiddle with the buttons of my pin-striped shirt my sister bought me, promising every day from Sunday that it'll drive girls wild, what she didn't say was that it would drive them wild if they didn't take notice of my dorky nature.

This girl is way out of my league, that I definitely know, but the voice talked her into it. She tried to understand why she was even going to go on a date with me, another thing I know, but the voice always draws people in. Like my very own personal siren.

I don't blame her for thinking like that because she is much smarter than me, much older than me, and definitely hotter than me. But the voice is always the key. It almost always says just the right thing.

The only problem, taking out a girl like that is expensive. Movie tickets, caramel popcorn, and at least fifteen dollars a glass of wine later and I'm leaving Indira ( a girl from the north side, who most likely didn't even kiss cheeks on the first date) standing by her car in front of the cinema.

She is definitely upset by my sudden leaving but the entire movie was boring. I rub my jaw with the palm of both my hands as I walk away. My jaw always feels weird when I let the voice talk for me, and with a girl like that, I had to use it all night.

It was like speaking a foreign language while everyone was speaking English. Left a really bad taste in my mouth. But that's not the most of my worries, the most of my worries is the fact that I have no way home. I am out of cash and buses never run this late.

The girl can't give me a ride because the voice bit me in the ass and sprouted some bullshit bout how I have my vintage Jaguar parked a few streets away. It's my fault because I wanted to get rid of her, and the voice sucks at planning ahead. Just knew that I wanted to get away.

Luckily for me, it is summer and there's always plenty of people to get a ride with on Ivy Street when Cambria's nightclub strip is in full swing . The voice can talk my way into one of the clubs, but inside no one will be able to even hear the voice. I will just be another dorky seventeen year old with a terrible haircut and too many freckles.

What I need is somebody already outside. There isn't many people out, just a few hipsters and every other piece of trash on the planet. They all are mostly older than me, and with them I will have better chances walking up to a murderer and saying 'Hey, will you please kill me?' Least the murderer will just murder you. But what seems like my way out exists from one of the clubs, he seems sober enough.

I speed up to him and it is clear to see that he walks with a damn steady purpose. I drift his way till the duffle bag he's carrying nearly knocks my head off my shoulders. "Hey! Watch it!" I said.

The guy spins around to face me and I'm pretty sure what I see is the human version of a turtle. He is a few inches shorter than me but twice as big across his shoulders. And he definitely has no neck. The sort of guy that will kill you with just a snarl.

I immediately back away when I see his hand drop into his jacket pocket like he's about to pull out a knife to kill my stupid self. "My mistake. Sorry about that." He scans me for a while before smiling, but his eyes are what catches my attention.

They are an electric blue, and way to piercing for comfort. But then he takes the hand out of his pocket and grips my shoulder.

I think about using the voice but I just know it will get me into more trouble by talking bout that guys neck. "Sorry man. Did I hit you?" My heart is beating like a rabbit's as I listen to his calm voice. "Hey, no problem. You missed actually."

I choke out, imagining he's about to grab that bag and swing it at my head just for good measure. All I want is to be on this guy's good side, so what do I do? I stupidly let the voice take over. "Taylor sent me over to help you out". The turtle guy pauses, looking me up and down again.

" Taylor sent me a pipsqueak like you?" I hate this, the voice always gets me into situations only the voice can get me out of, so I have no choice but to use the voice again. " Taylor said you were real bad off last night. He wasn't sure you'd remember the way to his house."

I try my best to smile, cause the stupid voice sounds like it is trying to make a joke. The human Ninja turtle stares another moment and then laughs. Like that alone is one of the most stupidest things he has ever heard.

"What a dick. I worked off that hangover in the gym already. How you know Taylor?" And what does the voice do? Nearly screws me over. " My sister's in his old army unit." That is the truth, yes, but nothing good ever comes out of the voice telling the truth. But the guy is relaxed, like he understands the whole universe now. "So you're family. Taylor must of wanted you to join the team."

I nod, trying not to seem too relieved. "He said to be the best you gotta learn from the best." The voice suddenly twists my throat, like it is imitating someone. "Nobody better than the Craig."

A thunderous laugh then falls out of the Craig, who reaches over and grabs my shoulder again. The weight of the hand alone nearly makes my knees buckle. "Did that dickhead tell you to say that?" He shoves me and nearly makes me fall flat on my back. "Come on, I got the car parked over here."

The Craig then starts stomping over to the side street. I finally take a deep breath and follows close behind. "Maybe I still can get a ride out of this". I mumble as I get into the passenger seat of the Craig's car.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know the deal

Scam

I think it is very safe to say that the Craig owns the crappiest car I have ever seen in my entire existence of a teenage zero hero.

It is an old beat up sedan. I can't figure out if it is brown or covered in enough dirt to make it look that way. The Craig sees the bewildered expression I wear and laughs that thunderous laugh again.

"Hey kid, lesson one: Always skip the fancy looking cars. It draws to much attention." There is some logic to what the Craig is saying, but I am still paranoid the way his hand is sunk into his pocket.

It is way way way too hot to even think about wearing a jacket, let alone actually wear it. I straighten up some when the Craig turns his attention to me, knowing he saw me staring at the hand in his pocket.

" You're not carrying, are you?" I shake my head some, biting my bottom lip, sure as hell not trusting the voice at this point. "Good that."

Craig looks both ways before pulling out into the street, guess even dangerous maniacs like to stay safe. He slings the deathly duffel bag across the back seats.

" For now just keep your eyes open, kid". I nod without saying a word when what I am about to do finally hits me like a slap to the face.

I'm in a car with a really strange man who is most likely packing heat with a duffel bag of what could be drugs or even a dead body and headed to a house I've never even been at!

Okay, might as well write my suicide note now. And on my headstone I want it written just how much of dumbass I was. I quickly open my mouth to let the voice take over but the voice doesn't say crap.

Great, even the voice has abandoned me. Which means there's no way out of this fucked up situation I am in. So I just shut my mouth

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kelsie

I never want nights like this one to end. I'm not ready to leave but the nightclub crowds are already breaking up into groups, looking for fun or just a way home.

I soon find Mikey and Nora leaning against the wall outside. Mikey looks beat where as Nora looks like she just got done drinking a mountain loud of coffee.

Mikey is always able to pull off that lazy rock god look no matter how tired he is though, Nora looks like she is about to explode.

She is whispering excitedly in Mikey's ear while tugging on his arm, almost making him drop the cigarette that is wedged in between his finger and thumb.

I call out to them and wave so they can see me through the crowd. "Hey little sis, mind taking this spaz off of me?" I'm not his sister but he always likes to remind me that I am way too young to be in any kind of club.

I roll my eyes while smiling and grabs Nora's arms and hooks our arms together. "Wanna get some pancakes?" Nora calms down and leans into my side some. "We should find some more people," I say.

"You know, get a crew together so we aren't lonely?" I explain once I see Nora looking at me, knowing she's already suspicious enough.

Mikey takes a long drag of his almost finished cigarette. "Don't you ever get sick of crowds?" I hear Nora laugh. "Kelsie? Tired of crowds? Oh Mik, you slay me!" Mikey rolls his eyes and follows me and Nora on our adventure to find new people.

I find Remmy next and of course he is trying to pick up two girls and decides to join us when one of the girls announces that she just oh my God loves pancakes!

That made six, including me. As we zing zanged the way up Ivy, I spot Ling coming out of her favorite store. Nora sneakes up behind Ling and jumps onto her back, immediately startling her.

When she sees it's just Nora, she smiles. "I'm both wired and tired, that weird?" She asks me while holding Nora on her back by holding her bare legs. "To wired and tired to have pancakes?" I ask, knowing as soon as I see her wide smile that she'll be joining us.

A group is soon forming around me and I feel at peace. I know that if I guide them toward a common purpose long enough, I can keep the group going for the rest of the long night.

I always need this, the feel of the crowd, as long as I can even remember. Since the time I was six and first ran away from home, following the pulse of a football game.

At the time i asked if it was a flood, but Lee -my mom at the time- said that floods didn't happen. I remember all to clearly.

I opened the front door and stepped into the nearly dark street without fear because I could feel the rise and fall of the crowd. The temperature and pressure of their excitement rolled across me like a tidal wave.

The parking lot security guard found me maybe over an hour later. I was sitting on the hood of a pickup, taking in the feel of the crowd. I had never felt anything like it.

I know I looked like I just got high and in some way I was. When the guard asked me what I was doing, I answered with just one word. "Floating".

And I am floating now, savoring the feel of the energy of the crowd I formed. We head for the diner on Main Street. I want this group to stay, because the good stuff only happens when I am apart of something much bigger than myself.


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feel like a freak reading a screen? Don't let that stop you

Scam

"You part of that scene?" The Craig hooks his thumb over his shoulder, making me look back at Ivy Street. I decide to answer for myself, not really trusting the voice with just how much it let me down tonight. "Me? Not really. Too loud."

"Yeah, I hate doof-doof music." The Craig drums his fingers on the steering wheel. I don't answer, just divert my attention to the duffel bag in the backseat, hoping that it's not a dead body in there like I originally thought.

The windows are rolled down, the wind blowing quite hard tonight. "Relax, kid," the Craig said. "The stuff stays in the club. People like us just move the profits." I think for a moment and then finally decide to speak, "So, that's money, huh?"

I ask in my own voice again, quite surprised how steady it's being seeing as though my heart is still beating like a rabbit's. The Craig looks at me confused and a little suspicious.

"Taylor was kinda light on details." I gulp and kept my jaw clamped against the voice threatening to spill out. Everything is going somewhat smoothly, maybe this isn't a total disaster. But the Craig is still looking at me.

His too bright eyes glitters in the reflections of the occasional streetlight. "Say, what unit did you say your sister was with?" I tense and hope that the Craig doesn't notice. Direct questions like this one is easiest for the voice to answer but also the most dangerous, too.

"Hundred and First Airborne, Three Twentieth Field Artillery, Second Battalion". Yep, you guest it. That is the damn truth again. Craig smiles, satisfied for now. "A girl in the artillery? That's badass." That is true, too. My sister is hardcore. Even if she is a mechanic and never goes near any ordnance.

My sister had shipped out nearly a month ago, leaving me all alone. Just me and our Mom. Mom works pretty much all the time, which is great during Summer. Still, I prefer when my sister was around. It's too quiet without her. "Hey, that's..."

My dumbass almost raise a hand to point at the end of my street, but thank God that I stop myself just in time. I can't have an potential maniac knowing my street. "That's what?" I quickly shake my head.

"Nothing, just thought I saw someone I knew". I stay quiet the rest of the way to the house. We are already out of Cambria, which just adds to my nervousness. We aren't on the highway so at least we are going somewhere local.

The Craig soon pulls into a dirt road that leads into the trees. Yep. This doesn't seem like a horror movie and yes, I'm sure as hell not gonna to die. The Craig keeps the headlights off, which just makes me feel worst. " You don't want the lights on for this?" I ask.

"Don't want to spook anyone. They see the lights, they might thinks it's cops." In the dark, the Craig's voice is the grimmest I've heard all night.

Gravel pops and crunches beneath the almost torn up tires. The blackness is only broken by moonlight shining in through the trees. "What's your name anyway, kid?"

I am way to freaked out to even think so I let the voice choose this round. "Just Axel". The Craig nods. "Your parents must be Guns N' Roses fans. I'll tell Taylor you did good. You had my back the whole way". I am half paralyzed with fear.

If Taylor himself is at the end of this dark gravel road , there is no way the voice can convince him he'd sent some strange kid to help move a bag full of what could very well be blood money.

The voice will no doubt remain silent while I am beaten to death. Through the darkness I can see a run down house as the car slides to a halt.

A black Jeep sits in front of the house, a gun rack against its back window. Nothing about this situation makes me feel the least bit better about my chances of actually getting out alive and with all my teeth.

Craig sees me staring. "You never been to Taylor's before?" I shake my head. "I've just never been here at night, looks different." Craig switches off the engine, but before he can pull the keys from the ignition, I grab his arm tight. "What?"

The Craig's gaze swivels out into the darkness, his hand at the jacket pocket again. "I saw something." I point out the front window. "In those trees." The voice soon takes over. "I saw a cigarette flare. Guy had a goatee, maybe? That mean anything to you?"

Craig pulls his hand out of his pocket. If I wasn't sure before, I am definitely sure now. The Craig is holding a gun. "You don't think it's Alvarez, do you?"

The voice ask. "Damn, stay down!" Oh yes, I sure as hell am gonna stay down. The Craig opens his door and slips out, crouching low behind the front end of the car. I scoot over to the driver's seat and pull the door closed.

The car keys are right in front of me, still in the ignition. Okay, it's definitely time to go. The voice can't do any more for me now. I reach for the keys but I need a noise so the Craig won't notice the car staring up.

I lean hard into the horn and the blare makes the Craig drop down to the ground. I twist the keys and turn over the engine. I quickly slam the car into reverse , shoving the accelerator down as far as a car can possibly go.

The tires roar as the car swerve backwards through the darkness, sending up gravel. I wish the voice could just take over my whole damn body, because right now I'm shaking hard and can barely keep the wheel straight.

I whispered a short prayer as the windshield is shot at. The car soon reaches an opening along the trees and I spin the wheel hard until I am finally going back the way we came. Finally, to my somewhat relief, the wheels finally hit the asphalt.

I start driving home when I remember the damn duffel bag in the back. I drive so hard I can barely even hear my own breathing because the air is blowing so hard. I nearly miss the turnoff home because I am thinking so hard, I feel like I'm about to have a heartattack at any moment.

I am two seconds away from pulling into the front of my house when I notice the lights on. Damn, mom's actually awake so I kept the car moving.

There is no way to dump the bag without my mother noticing, it's like she has eyes in the back of her head . I have been scamming my way through for so long that now Mom can tell exactly when the voice is doing the talking.

Then she slaps me before I can even make out two words. She slaps the voice right out of me. I can try hiding it somewhere in the garage, but mom is always snooping through everything and -bonus- she works for the district attorney's office.

The voice never speaks directly to me, so it's not like I can just ask it for help. But it just loves talking to other people. I hit the accelerator. That is the key: other people.

People can be charmed, reasoned with, lied to, and even convinced to chew off their own arm if you ask them well enough. The voice may be deranged but it always knows what to say. I quickly head back to town.

Maybe, if I'm lucky, I can get the voice to tell someone else what I should do next

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nithilam

After a very boring while of wandering around we finally walk into an all night diner in the middle of town. We are quite an unlikely group, all from very different cliques. Like some kind of breakfast club on steroids.

We are all tired, I can tell, but something keeps us moving. I had rested my face on Ling's back the entire way till she sets me down in the booth. Ling already looks like she is asleep , slumped against the seat of the booth.

I lean my side against the window, watching the sky while Kelsie does the same, just with her back to the window. Her shadow displaying on the table as the sun washes over her .

I barely am able to make out Mikey's words as he speaks to Kelsie, seeing as though she's just about the only one even half awake. "Did you--good night--sister?" This is just about all I hear as I continue to stare at the sky, moving my eyes to the trees, watching them sway gently.

I move my attention again and notice Remmy playing with a saltshaker and staring at the girls that tagged along with him. Everyone assumed they were sisters at first glance but if you looked twice, they just look like girls who dress the same.

And who are ignoring Remmy who is trying to talk to them. It is coming fast, anyone would be able to notice the way the group begin to fracture and fall apart.

When the waitress comes up and hands us the food I didn't even notice we ordered, that seemed to wake us all up. Mikey had to push the sleeping Ling off his arm as he dug into his food.

That is enough to wake up Ling and I nearly bust out laughing when she rubs her eyes, smearing the mascara everywhere, but she still seems to be beautiful, even if her hair is a tangled mess.

We all dig into our food, I glare at the two bitches when they snicker at how much syrup Kelsie puts on her pancakes. I know Kelsie doesn't care but I sure as hell do, so just to shut them up I drown my pancakes too.

It's sad almost that Remmy always chooses the wrong girls, he is actually a nice guy if you get to know him and now he's eating his own sorrows as he plays with his food.

I look around as I finish eating and notice that the diner was somewhat full. My eyes settle into a small glare when I finally see him. 'It couldn't be.' I think to myself as I take in his buzz cut and pin striped shirt.

He's sat with his hand cuffed around his coffee cup. And he keeps drinking cup after cup, the waitress mostly ignoring him when she realizes that's all he's gonna buy.

Kelsie must notice my ten watt glare cause she grabs my hand." Hey, you okay?" I stop glaring and give her my thousand watt smile. "Just fine, love."

When the pancakes are all done, the girls left without even paying. We all get out crumbled money, no one saying anything to Remmy cause we generally feel sorry for him striking out.

I mean, striking out with one is one thing but two? Whole new ball game. Remmy is still trying to start a conversation while Kelsie looks like she was in real pain, Michael chewing on a straw (and I swear it starts bleeding) , and Ling is finishing off Michael's pancakes while I get up and stretch.

I am paying to much attention to my aching bones that I don't even notice the blue car that drove by three times already, or so Ling says.

We all just settle with what Michael says about them being drug heads but when I take a quick look at Scam, I am quite sure that that car and him are linked somehow.

"They're probably just lost?" Ling says, pulling out a few napkins to wipe off the syrup from her fingers. I shrug but we still watch for that blue car.

Remmy brings up the Jones and I already know that Kelsie will be going, she can never skip out on a good party. Ling stiffens some when she points out the blue car driving by again.

Ling considers calling the police but Micheal just laughs that off, knowing we'll just get into more trouble if we even try to explain what got us here in the first place. My eyes narrow and I stand protectively near Kelsie when she squints at the car to see the faces clearly, the guy in the back turning to face the diner.

I grit my teeth when three words leave her lips that will change both mine and her life forever. "Oh my god". She mutters.

I grip her arm and try not to just yank her out of the booth, angry at that fucking douchebag in the back of the blue car. "What the hell is your father up to now?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit might go down? Who knows? I sure don't

Scam

I nearly jump out of my own shoes when the waitress comes back to give me some more coffee. I almost say no because the coffee is crap but it is the only thing that keeps me from passing out.

I just spent the last two hours hunched up in the back booth of some diner, staring out the window and trying not to be noticed by the brunette girl looking my way.

I can't face her, not after what I said to her last time we were together.

I think as I drink more of the disgusting coffee. It gives me a reason for looking jumpy. No one will look at me and the duffel bag and think, "Hey, that kid is up to something".

I stop looking out the window and instead decide to look around the diner now that Nora is no longer looking at me but out the window.

Everyone is wrapped up in their own six a.m. thoughts. No one even noticing a seventeen year old drinking coffee.

Besides, this is the middle of Main Street, no one will come in just to seize me and the duffel bag and drag me out. Nothing bad ever happens in Cambria.

The diner starts filling up with delivery guys and respectable citizens and I am about tired of hearing the waitress asking me if I needed coffee ever five minutes, so I grab the duffel bag and wedge it into the corner of the booth like some sort of pillow.

I always knew the voice was gonna do this some day---get me into some serious trouble. The voice doesn't care about consequences.

It doesn't way pros and cons like a human will. It isn't smart, it doesn't have compassion. It doesn't negotiate. It just takes what I want and runs with it.

I don't even know how the voice knows even half of what it knows. And I know one day all the lies and knowledge will bite me in the ass.

I'm just hoping that day isn't today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scam

At some point I must have spaced out because one moment the bank is emptier than my own head at the moment and the next it's full of people. I stand and make sure the duffel bag is secured on my shoulder

I left money for the coffee and added a few dollars to the bundle in my pocket. I am just lucky the only thing in the duffel bag is rolls of money wrapped up in rubber bands.

I don't bother counting the money, but it is more than I have ever seen. The only problem is that the money smells like beer and sweat.

I was a jerk to the waitress but she gave the voice some good advice when it asked her what she would do with a bunch of money. And bingo, the answer was "Put it in a bank". So here I am. In a bank with drug money.

Inside the bank there is already a line of people, not too long. I only hesitate once, I'm not stupid enough to put all this money in an account.

But then I decide to just get a safe deposit box. At least then I'll have plenty of time to figure out what to do next.

I make way to the back of the line. Maybe I can get my own apartment, just so I can get away from the prying eyes of my mother. Maybe leave Cambria behind for a little while.

The line slowly edges forward. The gallon of coffee I drank is wringing and consuming every nerve in my body.

I keep waiting for the Craig to come through the bank door any minute and the security guard doesn't look like he can take an assault from the Craig.

In fact, he seems way more interested in me. It feels like the bag is just getting heavier and heavier every passing second.

I can't help but wonder what the hell is taking so long, and I must have said it out loud because the girl in front of me half turns my way.

She has short, straight hair, the tips of it dyed in some kind of pink pattern. Weird but a little cool.

She is wearing a uniform, looking like she is about to start a shift as a flight attendant. Back in the fifties. Man, she has terrible style.

She holds her phone which was in a sparkly case with pink headphones disappearing into her hair. She must really enjoy pink.

She is bobbing her head to whatever is playing, sending her unique hair bouncing. It is when I bump into her as the crowd moves that she finally turns fully to me

Her eyes are unnaturally green, her mouth painted into a somewhat cute pout. I wouldn't mind dating her if I wasn't practically shaking in my own skin. That doesn't stop me from smiling at her, though.

The voice complements her hair, but she doesn't hear me so she pulls out one of the earbuds and asks me what I said.

"I said I like your hair". She thanks me and turns the rest of the way around, where I see an name tag resting on her shirt. "You don't look like a Majority."

I said, kicking myself mentally when she makes a puzzled face and glances down at the nametag. "Oh, they just recycle this things. Like, for decades."

She smiles when I tell her she looks more like a Sophie, but apparently it's Sonia. I nod when she corrects me, the voice always gets names almost right.

It probably figures that exactly right comes off as creepy. The voice brings up her hair again, talking about something called Low Brow.

Sonia's eyes widen and she asks me if I know Patty Low. The voice says I know who that is but I never even heard of her in my entire life, but the muscles in my jaw are relaxing as I speak so I just let the voice do its thing.

We have an almost complete conversation about whoever Patty Low is and I fuck up major when I take over and bring up how Jay White, who poses with Patty Low on the cover of one of her CDs, is a drug head and that he ran over some girls while high.

I try to slip back into the passive role, the listener but I am way way too exhausted. The ache is back now and I knew it was finished.

The girl muttered about how he was in a bad place then and I immediately thought of ways to reconnect but end up making it worse.

" I mean, those two girls were probably having a crappy day too. Especially after they messed up the pain job on his SUV."

I kick myself again but this time not mentally but physically. When Sonia turns back towards me, she's wearing a look of complete betrayal.

She turns back around and cranks up her music till the music is practically spilling out of her skull. I feel like crap now, I hate when the voice hurts people.

It's hard to take shit like that back. And half the time I don't even remember what the voice says.

Last summer I lost three friends and my girlfriend in a single wave of insults. I was just so angry, wanting them to hurt, really hurt. Wanting them just to leave me the hell alone. And like Sonia, they did.

Those people were the only people that really knew who I even am. They had their own powers to deal with. They sometimes understood.

We called ourselves Zeroes as a joke. Like heroes but not. They tried acting like superheroes, with training and code names and stuff like that. But we were all friends. We cared about each other.

Until I let the voice lash out. And that's how I ended up with no friends, a once broken nose, and an ex girlfriend.

The line inches forward again. I tap Sonia lightly on her shoulder. When she turns and glares at me I carefully mouth the word, "I'm sorry".

She hesitates but then a half smile comes across her face. After all, I'm a Patty Low fan. At least, she thinks I am.

She looks as if she's about to say something but then she points over my shoulder and froze. I turn. There are three guys with very big guns in the doorway.

They all are wearing black clothes and hockey masks. One of the guys lifts up his rifle and shoots it at the ceiling, scaring everyone.

Time stops when the gunman finally speaks. "Ladies and gentleman, get your asses down on the floor!"


	5. So here we are again...

So I don't think I'm gonna continue writing this. That's all folks. I mean, my boyfriend doesn't even read this story so obviously it's not good. Catch y'all later


	6. Not A Chapter

So I'm going to be continuing this. If anyone reading is interested in this note, I'm letting you few know that I'm going to be continuing whether or not this book is read


	7. Nithilam

The sound of muffled gunshots were able to be heard from the outside, but mostly, it was felt- the wave of heat from the people inside, their fear. It was a flood of energy. Shock, disbelief, but most of all, the fear. What drove my power. All of it forming together, strong enough that for a moment, it was all out of my control. Trying to drown me, threatening to make me another drop in this energetic ocean. But then the screams of panic brought me back and I fought my way to the top of this ocean. It felt as if I was trying to block a heavy rain. The crowd around me was a tital wave of hot, furious, boiling, energy. As my power worked against me and did what it does most, I could feel Kelsie drawing the wave up into her calm place, feeding them into stillness. Numbness. And she held them there. They all wanted the same thing- to be safe- and my power was struggling against that, but kelsie's power outweighed mine with it's good intentions. To keep her dad safe. We had been waiting by the park since breakfast, trying not to stand out. Just some kids killing time. The blue car once again returned after we ditched Ling and Mikey, rattling off some excuse about wanting to just walk home. We watched as the men gotten out, each one wearing hockey masks. I watched as Kelsie rested against the bank wall and closed her eyes. I hardly even thought about how she would feel about all of this, I mean, this is her dad after all and not only that, but she's struggling against the storm of emotions. I could feel her channeling the fear, replacing it with peace. The sooner this was all over, the sooner everyone was back home, including kelsie's father. I could feel the silent alarm pulsing throughout my whole body, no doubt someone inside had triggered it, the cops would be here soon with the police station only a few miles away. After something like this, there was no way Kelsie's father was going to get out of it. I could feel the seizing panic of Kelsie as she hauled herself from the wall and breaking her connection with the crowd inside, struggling to keep her emotions from reaching the people inside. There was nothing we could do but watch.


End file.
